Pavel Sporcl leaves Kocian Violin Competition and Kocian Usti Festival

Pavel Sporcl leaves Kocian Violin Competition and Kocian Usti Festival

Dear friends, colleagues, teachers, students,
Kocian's Violin Competition has always been close to my heart. As a student of LŠU (music school), I competed in it every year and finally won the coveted title of laureate. Even though I later achieved other successes, I was always aware of the importance of this competition in my life. It was in Ústí nad Orlicí that I met my beloved professor Václav Snítil, with whom I later studied at the Prague Conservatory and HAMU.
Nine years ago, when the management of the Kociano violin competition and the Kocianovo Ústí festival was changing, I was approached to become the patron of the competition and artistic director of the festival. I didn't hesitate for a minute. The opportunity to return to Ústí after many years and continue the legacy of Jaroslav Kocian, one of the best Czech violinists in history, absolutely thrilled me. With great energy and enthusiasm, I began to prepare the festival dramaturgically and helped the competition to improve its slightly tarnished image. And it worked. Top artists from the Czech Republic started coming to the festival, I invited great foreign soloists and conductors, we presented great orchestral works. I threw myself into the competition with the same enthusiasm, brought many new ideas and initiatives, almost all of which became an integral part of the competition. The number of applications began to increase hand in hand with this activity. As a patron, I tried to be a support for all competitors, so that everyone felt good in our Kocian family, as I called it.
When the long-time chairman of the jury and friend Pavel Hůla died a few years ago, quite naturally I took over his position and place. I invited top pedagogues from Czech and foreign schools to the jury. Thanks to this activity, competitors from countries that appeared in Ústí very sporadically or not at all - Israel, Germany or Austria - started going to the Competition. As chairman of the jury, I was mainly concerned with complete transparency and objectivity in decision-making. Any signs of harassment or underscoring of the contestants were dealt with immediately. Kocianka gradually became one of the most objective competitions in the world, which was repeatedly confirmed to me by teachers and jury participants under my leadership. I've always been very proud of that.
Despite the fact that I did not have the opportunity to significantly interfere in things as a patron or chairman of the jury, I did a lot beyond my powers, including finding sponsors and funds, to make the competition at least a little closer to the world's top. I have managed to reach out and bring in several smaller partners over the years, but in the last year I have nevertheless arranged a large financial support for the first place competitors and obtained an annual loan of a world-class master instrument for the laureate. As a patron, since my arrival, I co-initiated the establishment of a competition orchestra, thanks to which even the winners' concert was an extraordinary event in front of a full audience. After many years, the participation of Czech Radio, which I managed to secure, was a great benefit. At my suggestion, we started to invite to the jury the teacher of the last laureate, who always organized a seminar for Czech colleagues. In short, the competition, also thanks to the good organization under the leadership of the new director, began to flourish again.
Even though I don't claim or cling to any positions, I left this year's Kocianka as the chairman of the jury with the logical idea that I will be the chairman next year as well, as was the case in previous years. And I left KVC 2024 with the feeling that everything was bathed in sunshine, because KVC 2024 really went well. Since May, communication has been normal both with the director and with the Mayor Mr. Hájek, with whom, as the chairman of the Jaroslav Kocian Endowment Fund, we planned a meeting. I had prepared many ideas and stimuli for the following years. A vision to take the competition to a world level.
But what a surprise it was when I learned at the beginning of August that someone else would be the chairman of the jury. I was not informed in advance of this decision nor was I invited to discuss it. It came like a bolt from the blue. I found out by email. The explanation stated that everything happened under the pressure of the KHS director (who has the right to propose the chairman of the jury) and that this change was approved by the Jaroslav Kocian Foundation. I was and still am in absolute shock. It is not a matter of whether or not the director of the competition has the right to choose the chairman of the jury from his position, but of elementary decency, of the manner of conduct. I thought we were a team.
The Jaroslav Kocian Endowment Fund's decision about the chairman of the jury, the way in which it was made, the incomprehensible resentment towards me from the director of the KHS and the approval of the Foundation to her actions... all this took away from me the possibility to participate in the events at the KHS in any way. It is obvious that from now on I cannot publicly support the management of the competition, I would not be able to go to the jury meetings, play with the competition orchestra, in fact at this moment I am not and cannot even be a patron.
The Kocianovo Ústí Festival and the Kocianovo Violin Competition are interconnected entities that must communicate and complement each other. In the current situation, as it is set up, I cannot imagine that I could prepare a festival and in any way be a part of the entire Kocian Ústí. Therefore, I am giving up the position of Artistic Director of the Kocianovo Ústí Festival and patron of the Kocianovo Violin Competition.
I keep my fingers crossed for Kocian Violin Competiton in the coming years, and I wish my colleague Leoš Čepický, whom I respect very much, the best of luck as the new president of the jury. I believe that my long-term work has been an inspiration for many of you, and I look forward to meeting you on another occasion.